1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to small hand-held depilating appliances for the removal of unwanted hair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In more precise terms, the invention relates to appliances of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,902. In order to pluck-out hairs to be removed, this appliance has a rotary depilation roller formed by a series of thin disks placed side by side with a small clearance between them, and means for periodically gripping or pinching the hairs engaged between the disks. The hairs are then plucked-out by virtue of the rotation of the depilation roller.
In one of the forms of construction described in the patent cited above, the hairs are gripped by clamping against one of the faces of the rotary disks by means of the blades of a moving comb which are interengaged between these disks. Suitable means are accordingly provided for producing a periodic axial displacement of said comb with a view to applying the gripping blades of the comb against the rotary disks in order to trap the hairs to be plucked-out.
With a system of this type, however, it is difficult to obtain regularity of the gripping force from one disk to another. This regularity in fact depends on the accuracy of two elements: stacking of the disks and of the comb blades, the intervals of which must be strictly equal to each other.
In another form of construction described in the same patent, the disks are flexible and gripping of the hairs to be plucked-out is performed between two successive disks by deformation of the set of disks under the action of thrust members provided at each end. The arrangement in this case is such that the clamping action of the entire set of disks takes place at least once per revolution of the roller. However, a system of this type can operate only if the number of disks or the spacing between two successive disks is very small, which is an unfavorable factor for engagement of hairs in the depilation roller. This is detrimental to the efficiency of the appliance.